Romantic, Exciting Water-sprinkling Festival
Water-sprinkling Festival
(kmtrip.net) New Year's Day is
the most romantic and exciting festival for Dais. Famous for its liveliness, it
is called the "Water-sprinkling Festival," or "Oriental Carnival."
Dai
people often say, "We will sprinkle water on whoever we like on New Year's Day."
The water symbolizes the passing on of people's genuine feelings, and is
believed to ignite love between youngsters.
The festival lasts three
days. On the first day, which is New Year's Eve, a dragon-boat race and many
other traditional activities are held. The second day, which does not belong to
either the past nor the coming year, is believed to bring freedom to the people.
The third day, which is New Year's Day, is the liveliest day of the year. It is,
according to the locals, the "day when the King of Dating arrives."
Early in the morning, the Dai, in splendid clothes, make offerings of
newly picked flowers and leaves at Buddhist temples, and they carry water to
wash away the dust on the statues of Buddha. Then the grand, water-sprinkling
activity begins.
Men and women, young and old, carrying bronze bowls,
wash basins and pails, chase one another and sprinkle water, on whomever they
meet, from head to toe as a blessing. At the happy moment, people feast their
eyes on the sea of bobbing heads and splashing water drops, which are
accompanied by a deafening sound of gongs and drums.
Filled with cheers
and laughter, the city becomes a sea of joy. Fully enjoying themselves, the
people sprinkle water on one another to wash away their pains and sorrows
accumulated during the past year, to ward off evil and avoid disasters, and to
bless the coming year.
In addition to sprinkling water, varied and
colorful recreational activities are also held―including a dragon-boat race,
visiting the local market, piling sand, letting off fireworks and dancing.
The city is decorated splendidly for the festive occasion. Dai girls
look extremely beautiful, wearing their tight jackets, with circular collars and
narrow sleeves, and exposing their slender waists, and peacock-patterned
straight skirts, which are fastened by silver waistbands. They tie their hair up
on their heads, and decorate it with gold hairpins, combs, flowers or scarves.
Earrings and/or necklaces are also common. The young men wear collarless,
front-buttoned coats, long trousers and white, bright pink and blue scarves or
felt hats. Everywhere in the paradise on earth, handsome young men and beautiful
women enjoy themselves.
The enthusiastic Dai people celebrate their
festivals with joyful songs and dances. On the happy occasion, the people gather
for the "peacock," "elephant-feet" and "gold-deer" dances, to sing and dance to
the tempos of drums on a pedestal, shaped like an elephant's leg, and some other
traditional musical instruments. The locals, as if intoxicated and enthralled,
enjoy themselves to their hearts' content.
Taboo:
1. Touching a little monk's head is not permitted;
2. One should not enter
a temple without taking off his/her shoes;
3. One should not look into the
host's bedroom when visiting a Dai family; and
4. One should not walk across
the fire pit when visiting a minority family's home.
(Source: Women of China English Monthly December 2005)
